Bittersweet
by KeepYourHeartBroken
Summary: Threats are thrown around but what happens when one comes true? Will anyone prevent a certain death?
1. Chapter 1

Title : Bittersweet

Pairing : Mac & Claire

Rating: NC-17

A/N: Own nothing apart from the idea. Just borrowing the cast. Will hand them back... sometime anyway...

Summary: Threats are thrown around but what happens when one comes true? Will anyone prevent a certain death?

Chapter One

Crime solving was more trouble than it was worth, but one case was gonna threaten the life of someone close to the team, as Mac interviewed the suspect, Nigel Parker about a triple murder, Nigel was giving Mac bullshit about the case, Mac was not in the mood to be messed with but Nigel then issued a chilling threat that would happen sooner than later. Mac refused to believe this, he would later be proved wrong.

Later that night, Claire had just finished work at the World Trade Centre and was on her way home to see Mac, as she walked the short distance home, a gun was jammed into her back, Claire felt scared but didn't show it when she felt something on her neck and she went limp, giving the kidnappers the chance to zip tie her hands and take her to awaiting GMC van with false plates and the destination was out of New York and to Chicago.

Mac went home, expecting to find Claire already there waiting for him, but she wasn't there and so he tried to call her phone and only got voicemail, Mac knew that Claire always answered her phone to him, he grew worried about her, his thoughts quickly turned to that chilling threat, he gasped and uttered " Fuck" under his breath when it dawned on him what happened, he left the apartment, calling Stella on his way to his Avalanche.

Stella could sense how scared Mac was by the tone of his voice, filled with both fear and worry about Claire, he just hoped that she was still alive, he needed to try and find her before he loses her forever. Mac didn't want to live without Claire, she was his entire world, he knew how much she meant to him, hell he loved her and knew she loved him too and despite the disapproval from her family, both he and Claire had made their relationship-turned-marriage work, he was glad they did.

Claire was now cuffed to an old pipe in the Tribune Tower on the 46th floor, she had been attacked repeatedly with something hard and sharp causing her to wince in pain, only for her kidnappers to hurt her more, while the door opened and the ringleader walked in, saw her and smugly grinned knowing that what he was doing was in actual fact payback, the ringleader kneeled down to Claire and coldly whispered " This is just the start of your pain bitch.".

As the ringleader uncuffed her while his hand gripped her wrist, he then took her into the other room, where he assualted her over and over, causing himself pleasure but to Claire this was not what she wanted, but she tried to fight back, as he then put his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming, he was more agressive and brutal with her, he then stopped after a while, as the others did what their boss did to Claire, she tried to block out the pain but it kept happening to her.

Mac was deeply worried about Claire and he had no idea what or where she was, he had to find her before it was too late, he paced in his office going out of his mind with worry about Claire, he then heard his computer beep with new mail, he clicked on the link, upon clicking he saw a photo of Claire and he didn't like what happened or who did this to the one he loved deeply with his heart, he vowed to find her and bring the kidnappers to justice, one way or another.

Will Mac find Claire before time runs out?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As Mac worried about Claire, not knowing what was being done to her, he bit his fingernails out of worry and he tried to work out who would be sick enough to do this to him, when he thought back to who he had pissed off and when the penny dropped, he knew who had done this, shivers down his spine once it dawned on him who had comitted such a horrible attack on Claire and himself. Mac didn't know exactly where Claire was being held captive.

Claire was alone in the room, the door was bolted shut from the outside, she had a gag in her mouth, hands and feet were now chained up, as she laid there scared out of her mind, not knowing if she would ever be found and rescued, she hoped that Mac would save her somehow and she closed her eyes, she felt chilly as there was no air con in the room, while Mac had told Stella his suspicions on who was behind this, Stella realised that Mac was right.

Mac had tried to get a cell location on Claire's phone but nothing pinged to anywhere, but Mac tried to turn it on manually from the computer, as he did so, Claire's phone pinged a location, Chicago, Mac gasped as he finally had a location on where exactly Claire was. He faced a race against time to get there and save Claire before it was too late.

As Mac had discovered the location to where Claire was, he hoped that he wasn't too late in saving her, he told Stella that he was going to Chicago, Stella nodded and told him to bring Claire back safe, Mac nodded while still scared as hell, not knowing what awaited him in Chicago and whether he would be in time to rescue Claire. A few hours later, Mac arrrived in Chicago, he had the address of where the phone pinged a hit, he got a cab to the Tribune Building, looking up, he knew this was gonna be a bloodbath.

Not knowing what was waiting for him, he sighed and headed up to find out, as his gut feeling was not exactly helping as he didn't want to be too late in saving Claire, he checked his 9mm gun and put it back in his pocket, as he got closer to the 46th floor, his thoughts were shattered by a stomach churning cry, hand quickly went to his gun, as he kicked the door open and came face to face with his most sworn enemy and the anger showed in Mac's eyes as he was shocked.

As the kidnapper taunted Mac with events, Mac said " Where is she?", as the kidnapper coldly said " You won't save her, not a damn chance", as Mac scoffed knowing this bastard was toying with him, Mac stepped forward and asked again, only to get the same answer, Mac cocked his gun, firing one shot, killing him with a single shot, as he put his gun away, he tore the room apart looking for Claire, he stopped due to the sound of a whimper from a closed door.

Mac saw that it was bolted shut, he cursed then, he found a tool to pry the bolt off, he managed to get the door open, but what awaited Mac, was a scene of shock as he saw Claire barely breathing and he rushed to her side, fiddling with the cuffs and placing carefully lined shots, he got them off, Mac then took the gag out of her mouth, she had a faint pulse and heartbeat, this scared Mac who called for paramedics who quickly were dispatched to the scene, upon arrival, attempted to revive Claire, as Mac watched with fear in his eyes.

Claire was taken to Chicago General, with life threatening injuries, Mac paced the hallway, mind filled with worry and he couldn't lose Claire, hell he wouldn't cope without her, he stopped pacing and sat down, putting his head in his hands, he silently cried with both fear and worry mixed with panic over what he'd seen in that room. All he could do now was wait and hope that Claire would pull through, that was all Mac wanted, more than anything in the world.

Long hours passed, when a doctor came out to give Mac some news, Mac asked " Is Claire gonna be ok?", when the reply from Dr. Carter was " It's gonna be tough to say really but we managed to revive her, but I must tell you that she was raped, she's asleep.", this made Mac's stomch churn, he asked " Can I see Claire?", when the doctor nodded and warned him what to expect when he sees her.

Mac walked into Claire's ICU room, he gasped as he saw just how bad she was hurt, he went to her bedside and held her hand in both of his, he cried seeing her like this, he stayed there with Claire, never leaving her side. He needed to be by her side, he knew that.

Will Claire ever come around?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

As Mac sat by Claire's bedside,worried about her as he hoped that she would pull through, tears rolled down hs cheeks as he saw the scale of her injuries, he was scared for her life, not knowing if she would wake up or if she would remember what happened to her in that building, Mac called Stella and told her what happened to Claire as he told Stella, Mac was breaking down in tears as he spoke to her, worry clear in his voice.

Mac stayed where he was needed, with Claire who was barely hanging on, when Mac leant in and whispered " I need you to survive sweetheart please.", as he sniffled in despair, worried if she would ever come around from this, he knew that she would always have him to help her deal with it, he was damn sure of that and made a promise to himself that he was gonna protect her more than ever, he didn't want to lose her, hell he needed her in his life.

While watching Claire, it dawned on Mac just how much she meant to him and how much he loved her deeply, knowing that she was his reason for living and being happy, he knew this and he would tell her that too, if she woke up from this, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, as he stayed by her side, silently watching her and hoping she would awaken and hopefully tell her how much she meant to him, he loved her with his life.

Not knowing when she would wake up, worried Mac to the very core, he decided that he was gonna remain by her side for as long as it took, he had to be here with as he didn't want her to wake up alone and scared of where she was.

As the hours passed, Claire had not woken up, Mac became more worried as he waited for her to wake up, he bit his nails out of sheer worry for Claire and he softly put his hand on her's, holding it in his own just needing her to wake up, he missed her and needed her so much.

A few days had passed since Claire's attack, and still no change in her status, until later that day, when Claire gripped his hand weakly, causing Mac to gasp as he looked up and saw her grip his hand, Mac sniffled as he watched her hoping that she would now wake up, Claire flickered her eyes a few times, before she woke up.

Mac gasped softly " Claire", as she then looked to him, " What happened?" she asked, Mac didn't know how he was gonna tell her, then said " Sweetheart you were hurt bad.", as Claire nodded while feeling outta it a little bit, as the doctor came around to check on Claire, finding her awake was good and he removed the tubes and kept her on the drip for the time being until she was a bit more stronger.

Mac stayed by Claire's side as he was where he needed to be, he wondered how to tell her what all happened to her, he was scared of telling her the truth, but knew he had to sooner or later, he wanted to get better first before he told her the horrible truth of the attack.

Can Mac find it in his heart to tell Claire the truth?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

As Mac wondered whether or not to tell Claire the truth about what had happened, she had asked him what happened but all he would tell her was that she had been hurt bad, she knew him long enough not to push until he felt ready to tell her the painful truth about what she had been subjected to in that building by Sassone and his men, he closed his eyes just wishing he could take the whole thing away from her, somehow he felt guilty that she had been hurt, he blamed himself.

Claire could tell how he felt, just by the movements or by his silentness, she knew that he felt guilty and she didn't blame him, hell she could never blame him, she loved him with everything she had and more, she tried to remember what happened to her in that room, but kept drawing a blank, she had to wait until Mac told her the awful truth about her attack, something he was not looking forward to doing, it had to be told but he was scared to even utter the words to her.

As Claire slowly recovered in hospital, she looked to Mac then said " I know you aren't ready to tell me what happened but I wqant you to know that I don't blame you.", upon hearing that, Mac then said " Sweetheart, you were raped in that room I found you in . I'm sorry", Claire looked to him and she was shocked about what he had just told her, she hated what happened to her but she knew that Mac was in pieces that she had been brutally raped like she had, she kept a hold of his hand in her own.

Claire looked to him feeling a mix of emotions not really sure on which one she felt at that moment but she knew that all she could do was try and get over it, being afraid of letting Mac get close to her, she loved him and not knowing if their lives would ever be normal again, it was something they had to face together, Claire didn't want to be alone as she needed him by her side and she just needed him by her side to help her deal with the demons of her nasty attack.

Mac had his eyes closed as he thought about how the hell they would come through this but he sure as hell would be her rock, no matter what it took for him, he would be there for his wife, he knew that she needed him to deal with the rape and the nightmares or Mac liked to call them the nasty thoughts, he softly sighed as he kept his eyes closed as he thought about how he was gonna cope but he was gonna help Claire cope with it, no matter what it took.

Claire spent the next few weeks in hospital until she was strong enough to leave and travel back to New York with Mac, she wondered if she was gonna ever get over her attack but realised that she wouldn't, not alone but she had Mac by her side, he was gonna make sure that she never came to harm ever again, he was gonna protect her.

As Claire and Mac left Chicago to go back home to New York, Claire held his hand as she was still scared, Mac understood that she was still scared and he vowed to make sure that she was not scared anymore, he was going to protect her better than he did before, he whispered that to Claire and she just held his hand tighter, she knew that the nightmares would be horrible but she just needed the support of her husband, it made Claire realise that Mac would be there for her no matter what it took.

Will the nightmares cause something to happen?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Claire and Mac were now back in New York, Mac had been quiet on the flight back, as had Claire who was trying to think of something to take her mind off her attack, but quickly found that it would be no easy task, she softly sighed to herself knowing that the road ahead was sure to be a bumpy one, as she knew that she would have Mac by her side the entire time supporting her through the aftermath of her attack.

Once they got back to their Manhattan apartment, Claire took a warm bath to ease the pain from her ordeal, Mac felt at a loss in what he should be doing, he did feel guilty for not being able to prevent what happened to Claire, it would always be something he would regret for the rest of his life, he mentally kicked himself as he felt guilty.

Mac unpacked his stuff, he decided to let Claire unpack her own stuff, he sat on the bed, head in his hands and softly cried since the attack took place beyond control, Claire appeared after her warm bath to find Mac on the bed upset, she knew why and sat next to him, just holing him close to her.

Claire stayed close to Mac knowing that right now they needed each other more than ever before, Claire just sniffled as Mac wrapped his arm around her in comfort as best he could, knowing how tough this would turn out to be for the both of them.

Mac felt so much regret after what happened to Claire in Chicago, he had no idea why Chicago had been chosen as the place to attack Claire in the way that she had been, all Mac knew at this point was that he had saved her, made sure she got treated for her attack.

Claire was glad that Mac had saved her life and she just would always be glad that he did, just in time, she closed her eyes and tried to have normal thoughts, she then tensed up, Mac knew that she had tensed up due to a flashback from the attack, Mac held her close to him and tried to sooth her which took some time as Claire slowly calmed down.

Later that night, Claire and Mac were in bed, Mac couldn't sleep, neither could Claire, she tried to sleep but couldn't as her mind was too alert on that attack she'd been through and she just wanted the nightmares to be over, she looked to Mac who was wide awake, she then stayed close to him, needing to feel warmth and comfort.

Mac held Claire close to him, knowing that she needed him more than ever before, Claire knew that she needed him more than ever to deal with her ordeal.

How will they cope?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

As Mac held Claire close to him, he felt pangs of guilt no matter what he tried, nothing would take those pangs away, knowing that Claire didn' t deserve what happened to her, this only made Mac realise that the threat he'd been warned about before the attack took place, he shivered at the thought of it and recoiled close to Claire who was still in close to him, she was scared to be left alone.

Mac took time off from the lab to be there with Claire, he was gonna protect her even more than before, hell he loved her so much and was damn sure that he would never let anything harm her again, he would make sure of that.

Claire knew that he was gonna be more protective of her, she knew why and as she tried to loosen her mind from the flashbacks of that day, she looked to him, which made her feel safe with him, she trusted him, as he was the only one she truly trusted with her life.

Mac understood that Claire trusted him and he in turn trusted her too, as they had decided to take it one day at a time, Mac wondered how the whole drama would effect their strong life together, he was scared of losing her forever, Claire would never walk away from Mac, she loved him too much to ever walk away.

As the days passed, Claire still had flashbacks to that night and she caught herself looking to Mac, who was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee, she walked to him, Mac smiled softly to her as she came closer to him, Claire kissed him softly, he returned the soft kiss with her.

Claire knew that they had decided not to try for a baby early on in their marriage but she quickly realised now that she was ready for that with Mac, she didn't know if he was ready for that too but she asked him outright about it, shocked Mac realised that Claire was serious about them trying for a baby.

Mac knew that he'd been thinking about it too, he just didn't know that Claire wanted the same as him, upon knowing now Mac agreed for them to try for a baby of their own, this made Claire excited that Mac had agreed to try for a baby, she wondered when they would start trying for their baby.

Few weeks later, Mac was ready to try for a baby with Claire as they talked more about it, both agreeing to the final decision, Mac became very excited that now he and Claire were trying for a baby together, afterwards Claire was cuddled in close to Mac as they were gasping for breath after what they had done.

Claire knew that they had taken that leap in order to have a baby of their own, Mac was excited about the whole thing, even Claire was too.

Will there be good news brewing? 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A few months had passed since Claire's attack and the decision to have a baby, when late one afternoon Claire had been feeling under the weather, made an appointment with Dr. Sharp at the health clinic for a couple hours later. Mac had went back to the lab, Claire had insisted on it, despite Mac wondering if he should even then he knew that Claire was right, something told him that she was always right.

Claire left their apartment an hour later to head over for her doctor's appointment, Claire hadn't felt nerves like this apart from the day she and Mac got married in Chicago, Claire was happy and still was even now with Mac. As she checked in and headed to Dr. Sharp's office, she was nervous, she felt like she would throw up from the nerves, she just hoped that she was fine and healthy.

Dr. Sharp called Claire into her office, as Claire then explained what was wrong over the past couple months and Dr. Sharp had a strong idea as to what was wrong and asked Claire to do a couple tests in the treatment room, Claire nodded as she went to have those tests done, nerves were really setting in and she worried that something was wrong with her.

Claire waited and she tapped her fingers out of nerves, when a nurse returned and informed Claire that was eleven weeks pregnant, hearing this shocked Claire who smiled in reply and she then left the clinic, deciding to see Mac and to tell him, she went to PD and his office but his office was empty, so she waited for him to get back, once Mac walked into his office five minutes later, he saw Claire there on the couch.

Mac sat next to Claire and asked her if she was ok, when Claire then told him that she'd been to see her doctor, this made Mac ask why, when Claire then said that she was eleven weeks pregnant, Mac smiled upon hearing that she was pregnant, he embraced her lovingly in his arms, knowing that they were gonna be parents soon.

Claire had asked Mac not to tell any of the team about their baby as she wanted it kept quiet, Mac agreed to keep the whole pregnancy a secret from his team as Claire had asked him to, while they sat there, Mac put his hand on her tummy, knowing that she was carrying his baby.

Later that night, both Claire and Mac were at home and in bed, Claire was cuddled in close to him as his hand was on her slight baby bump, Mac smiled softly at the prospect of becoming a dad in six months time, he also knew that Claire would be a great mom to their unborn baby, he knew it.

What happens next? 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight (Finale)

As the months passed and Mac had finally told Claire the truth about her attack and she understood how hard it was for him to tell her but now she knew, there was no point of blaming Mac, she knew he'd found it hard to admit the truth to her tht night and Mac held Claire close to him as his hand on her bump as he was excited about being a dad for the first time and he knew that Claire would make a great mom to their baby.

Mac knew that the due date was edging closer and they had the nursery all set up for their baby when it was time to bring their little one home, Claire only had a few weeks left of her pregnancy and had felt movement but didn't wanna worry Mac too much about it. She also had no idea what sex their baby was as they agreeed on a surprise when the time came. Mac was getting so excited about the impending arrival of his baby and Claire knew that, she could tell.

Claire woke up a little later, feeling in pain and she tells Mac who asked her if her waters had broke, Claire replied that she wasn't sure and went to use the bathroom and once there, her waters broke and she shouted on Mac who instantly knew why and he grabbed the bag for the hospital and takes Claire down to the Avalanche.

Once Mac had taken Claire to Queen of Mercy, she was checked over and was close enough to having the baby, when she felt contractions hard and fast, she winced out in pain, Mac held her hand and told her that she would be ok, Claire knew he was right, she trusted him with her life.

A few hours later, Claire was edging ever closer to having her baby, when she was checked over and it was time for her to have the baby, she held Mac's hand as they went down to have their first baby together, Claire was told then to push and as she did, she cried out in pain and 3 hours later, Claire had given birth to a healthy 6lb 3oz baby girl.

Claire then held her lil girl to her chest as she slept, Mac smiled as he saw his little girl and fell in love with her, then they still had to decide on a name for their newborn baby girl, when Mac suggested naming her Lexie, and as Claire thought about the name, she knew it was perfect and told Mac that she loved the name for their baby girl, whose full name would be: Lexie Aiden Taylor.

After a few days, Claire and baby Lexie were allowed to leave hospital with Mac as a family and they went to the Crime Lab to allow the team to meet Lexie, once there, Stella asked Mac what they had named their baby, Mac then replied that he and Claire had named their daughter Lexie Aiden Taylor, which was met with smiles and aww's from the team upon hearing the name for the newst member of the CSI family.

Mac and Claire settled into family life with their little girl Lexie and were a happy family, as the years passed they had another child, a little boy whom they named McCanna Daniel Taylor who was the double of his daddy, they were a happy family in Manhattan NYC with their two children.

The End


End file.
